The Last Letter From Your Lover
by Saffylaffy
Summary: Matsuda,a journalist,stumbles upon a box of letters.The letters were dated from a decade ago and all were written by the same person for one person;L to Light.Matsuda reads the letters and becomes more involved in the history of this estranged couple.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Matsuda, a 26-year-old journalist, stumbles upon a box of letters. All the letters were dated from a decade ago, and all were written by the same person for one person; L to Light. Matsuda reads the letters and becomes more involved with the history of this estranged couple's tragedy.**

**I'm a shameless addict. A new story, and I haven't started on the new chapter for T.S.F.L. **

**Inspired by a book with the same title by Jojo Moyes. I have not read the book yet though; I was flipping through pages in a magazine and saw a summary for this book:**

**A sophisticated, page-turning double tale of love spanning 40 years, The Last Letter From Your Lover is about a journalist named Ellie who discovers an enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper's archives. She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. A spellbinding, intoxicating love story with a knockout ending.**

**Like I said, I only read the above summary and not the story, so my fic will be different. I altered the characters' ages too. You don't really have to know what age they are, or you can calculate the ages by looking at the dates on the letters.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. Hah! Take that, sneaky-weaky lawyers! You cannot catch me~! Nah-nanny-poo-poo! Yeah, I'm childish. And this disclaimer is for all chapters! :)**

**Edit: I experienced some technical problems so I had to repost this fic... O.o**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 1. Box of Letters<span>**

"Matsuda-san! I'm sorry, but could you work overtime for today? We have a lot to do and we don't have enough workers!"

"Matsuda! Where's my coffee?"

"Touta-kun, are you done with the draft?"

Matsuda Touta's head was spinning with all the information crammed inside his head. Sure, it was all from early this morning, and it was now 10 p.m. in the evening, but he was still stressed with his job.

"Stupid colleagues, stupid manager, stupid company!" Matsuda pouted.

His table was overflowing with stacks of papers that needed to be proofread. He still had a number of drafts due by next week. Matsuda's eyes flickered sleepily, and he banged his head onto the keyboard.

**INFORMATION DELETED**

"What the-" He was now wide awake, and tried frantically to retain back the lost document. As his attempts proved to be futile, Matsuda cursed his life, "Damn! My life sucks!"

He got up from his seat reluctantly and staggered towards the storage room, where all the documents were kept.

The storage room was huge, yet, it seemed claustrophobic because of all the metal shelves covering the walls and floors. Matsuda flailed his hands around, searching for a switch for the light. A measly light bulb dangling precariously from a piece of wire flickered on.

It brightened the room somewhat with an eerie, low orange glow. Matsuda scanned the labels on the boxes, searching for his desired document.

"Found it!" he exclaimed gleefully and pulled the box out. After retrieving a fat, dusty folder from the box, he attempted to place it back to its original spot. Matsuda was on tiptoes, pushing the box on its space. He succeeded and turned towards the exit to return to his office when he tripped on the fat folder he left on the floor.

Dusty boxes fell onto the floor and the storage room became hazier. Matsuda coughed and hacked, trying to get rid of the dust particles in his eyes. Sighing dramatically, he assembled the boxes to their places. An unmarked white box attracted his attention.

Picking it up, Matsuda searched it for any type of markings. He came up with zero clues. He was about to shove into any empty space he could spot, when a strange feeling washed over him.

_Oh, what the hell. It's just a box. Hardly anyone goes into the storage room to check for anything missing anyways._ And so, Matsuda picked up both the box and the nearly-forgotten fat folder from the floor and headed towards the exit.

* * *

><p><em>Scribble, scribble, scribble.<em>

_Tap, tap, clickety-clack._

_Tick, tick, tock._

Matsuda continued scribbling and typing as the clock ticked away the seconds. Every once in a while, he would look up and glance at the box. Shaking his head out of his reverie, he would then return to his work.

Finally, he could not take the suspense anymore. Matsuda shoved papers away from his table and settled the box over the empty space. He took out a penknife and slit it through the scotch tape.

As the folded parts of the box were unfurled, Matsuda's eyed widened in surprise. And he regretted widening said eyes almost immediately. Dust particles floated up and entered his naked eyes, causing them to water. He very nearly sneezed, but managed to control himself.

Matsuda waved off the dust and observed the contents of the box. Heaps of letters were haphazardly kept inside. His curiosity rekindled, Matsuda gingerly took out the letters and neatly stacked them together. He read the dates written on the envelopes, and was perplexed to see that they were dated from around a decade ago.

He separated the envelopes and arranged them again, this time according to the dates written on the paper. Amidst the rearranging of old, crinkly envelopes, Matsuda noticed that all the letters were sent from the same person and addressed to another person.

_This L person must be really dedicated to Light. All these letters are addressed to Light,_ Matsuda wondered.

A neat stack of envelopes was tidily tied together with a rubber band. Matsuda, satisfied with his job done well, took out the first letter and began to read.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are like ice to me! Not ice as in drugs, but ice as in crunchy cold ice. I am addicted to ice for some reason. XD But I'm not alone. My 2nd big bro and youngest sis likes ice too!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2. 1****st**** Letter**

17 February 1998

Yagami-san

Today was the first day that I met you. My life was as monotonous and boring as usual. I went to my favorite spot near the park by my apartment and had a sudden hankering for a nice big cup of coffee. You literally jumped into my life at that moment. You ran smack-dab into me, spilling my hot coffee over the pavement.

_A bundle of lively energy picked itself up from off the sidewalk and brushed himself off, glancing up at the author with wide cinnamon-brown eyes and a horrified expression set over his visage._

_"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"_

You wouldn't stop apologizing. I waved off your apologies and tried to brush you away from my life, like what I always do to other people.

But you were, and still are, a stubborn person. More stubborn than a mule, I would say. And I'm glad for it.

_L sighed as he gave the boy a nonchalant glance while curtly nodding._

_"I'm so, so sorry, I just didn't see you there! It's like you popped up out of thin air!" _

_Brushing off the awkward joke, L smiled politely to the student, if going by the uniform he was wearing was any indication, and made to walk away and grab himself another cup of joe. "Hey! Wait up Mr… Uh… Guy…"_

_Cringing as the boy grabbed onto his coat sleeve, dark onyx eyes rolled back to their aggressor. "I just… I feel bad about the coffee. Can I at least make amends by buying you another one and spare myself the feeling of guilt for the rest of the day?"_

_"I…"_

Though in the future I would have most definitely said otherwise, there had been something in your gaze that had hypnotized me at that moment, speaking of other worldly things that I could only imagine and inked onto paper with my collection of pens.

It was, in other words…

Magical.

_"S-sure." Trying to at least summon up some semblance of a kind smile, L struggled to not laugh as the look on the boy's face brightened considerably and elegant golden fingers grabbed onto his free hand with a tight grip. _

_Not looking the least perturbed the by shocked looks on countless strangers' faces as he pulled on L's arm and rushed them both forward, the boy began to speed-walk to his destination, slightly unmindful of the man striding behind him._

_"Great! I know this awesome place just a few blocks away from here! You'll love it! Totally worth the extra five or ten minutes! You're not late, are you? I sure hope not. But their coffee is awesome enough to have life spare you the little bit of extra time! Uh… I'm having a caffeine-gasm just thinking about it!"_

_In any other case, L would have pulled his hand away and run the other direction to try to get away from this suddenly peppy teenager who seemed to be floating on invisible wings attached to his feet, but he had to say, he was curious._

_Light bells of laughter tinkled within the air as L simply followed, knowing this was the beginning of a grand new adventure he would never wish to forget._

And for brightening up what is left of my life, with both your personality and your name, I thank you.

L

* * *

><p>Matsuda's eyes enlarged comically in size. The bundle of envelopes he had found were letters to a lover!<p>

People say that curiosity killed the cat, but Matsuda's life was already hanging precariously on a cliff, so why not he just further indulge himself in the mysterious letters he found?

Matsuda returned the stack into the white box and shoved it inside his drawer. The night guard would be coming around soon, and Matsuda wanted to get back home quickly. He would work overtime the next day again and spend some time reading the next few letters.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Short chapter, but next chapter will have you begging me for more! Don't read below if you don't want to spoil your surprise. Oh, but do please review!**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Mello, Matt and Near are gonna appear!**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Warnings for MNM's real names.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3. 2<strong>**nd**** Letter**

Matsuda was in an extremely twitchy mood. He could not wait for his colleagues to leave work so that he could be left alone in his solitary confinement. All this just for the sake of reading the box of letters hidden in his drawer.

His colleagues were slightly suspicious of his eagerness to get them going home. His boss however, was pleased that Matsuda would be taking care of the extra work at night.

Not too soon enough for Matsuda, the office was now empty of people, save for himself and the night guard who was most likely getting his forty winks in the closet room.

Bracing himself to not get too excited and ruin the letters by accidentally ripping them, Matsuda shakily unlocked his drawer and took out the white box. Unwrapping the folded corners, he then removed the next letter from its spot.

And he began to read.

* * *

><p><em>18 February 1998<em>

_To Yagami-kun_

_We exchanged numbers. _

_After the coffee you treated me to yesterday, we talked about nothing and everything. You insisted that we meet up again and exchanged numbers with me. I only had 4 different contacts in my cell phone; my caretaker, Watari, the police, the fire station and the ambulance. _

_I stared and stared at your number on my contacts list in my cell phone. You were my first friend. You were also the first person I ever exchanged numbers with willingly._

_But I'm afraid. I'm afraid that you will leave me if you know the truth. I'm afraid that even if you do stay by my side, I will only end up hurting you. I'm afraid to afflict any kind of pain to you._

_Yet, I cling on to you. You're different, Light. I wonder; will you be able to help me? Or will I only hurt you?_

_L_

* * *

><p>Matsuda gave out a shaky sigh. His brows furrowed together into a frown. What did L mean by 'the truth'? He looked up at the clock and gasped aloud before hurriedly keeping the letter into the white box, and locking it inside his drawer.<p>

A slight ruffling noise distracted him. Thinking that it was a rat lurking around, Matsuda didn't think much of it.

He finished up the remainder of his work and rushed home. It was slightly past midnight by the time he left. What Matsuda didn't notice was that hidden inside the closet room, a colleague of his was smirking in evil glee.

* * *

><p>"Mihael, stop with that creepy pedophile grin of yours." A 22-year-old albino chided his friend.<p>

The 24-year-old blond whipped his head around and glared daggers at his colleagues. Mail, a redheaded errand boy, sat cross-legged on the floor, fingers tapping away at his PSP.

"Mail, you nearly gave us away!" Mihael snarled.

"Hey, it's not my fault my legs got cramped. I needed to stretch." Mail shrugged. "Plus, the closet room is too small. You should be glad that I managed to catch the broom before it hit the floor."

Nate observed his two bickering colleagues, his right index finger curling a lock of his hair.

"Anyways, at least we know why Matsuda was acting so suspicious today. He's been reading his love letters! We'll confront him tomorrow after everyone else has left!" Mihael exclaimed gleefully.

"You can't be too sure that they're love letters. And what's with the 'we'? You were the one who dragged me and Nate into this crazy scheme of yours," Mail interjected.

Mihael pointedly ignored Mail's comment and left the closet room.

"Come on. We have to arrive to work bright and early tomorrow." With that, Mihael skipped off, leaving behind a pair of disgruntled colleagues.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile the night guard was having the time of his life in a bar. <em>Sure am glad that Mihael offered to take up my job tonight,<em> he thought drunkenly before passing out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Were Mello, Matt and Near too OOC? I don't know, I'm kinda suckish with keeping characters IC. Constructive criticism or encouragement needed! A.K.A. Reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. The 3****rd**** Letter and The 3 'Musketeers'**

_Afraid,_ Matsuda thought. _Agitated, apprehensive, basket case, bothered, distressed, fidgety, neurotic, overwrought._

Matsuda was looking through the thesaurus. He was writing an article on nerves and needed synonyms for the word 'nervous'. Unfortunately, reading off synonyms for 'nervous' wasn't doing any good for his jittery nerves.

This morning, when he arrived at work, he was confronted by Mihael, his colleague. Mihael, along with Mail and Nate, had spied on Matsuda the night before and caught him in the act.

_Querulous, high-strung, spooked, solicitous._ Matsuda could feel Mihael's stare burning a hole at the back of his head.

All too soon for Matsuda, the workers began to pack up their things and head for home. Matsuda tried to inconspicuously leave the office undetected when a heavy hand slapped his shoulder.

"Eeep!" Matsuda squeaked.

"Matsuda! You've been working overtime a lot nowadays! Keep up the good work!" His manager bellowed. The manager's gold tooth glinted menacingly, and Matsuda timidly shuffled back to his desk.

The office lights were dimmed and the only light source was coming from Matsuda's lamplight. Mihael, Mail and Nate popped out from behind Matsuda.

"Aaagh!"

"So where's the box o' letters, lover-boy?" Mihael asked, ignoring Matsuda's strangled cry.

After some threats from Mihael and rather doubtful 'reassurances' from Mail, Matsuda hesitantly unlocked his drawer and took out the white box. Mihael's eager hands reached out to grab it, but Nate retrieved it from the desk first.

"We will look through the letters together." Nate stated monotonously.

"Tch. Spoilsport." Mihael strode towards the conference room and unlocked the door. The conference room contained a long table surrounded with plush chairs to be used for meetings by the higher-ups of the newspaper agency.

"Where'd you get the keys?" Matsuda asked, awestruck.

"Night guard."

"…"

Matsuda took out the two letters he had read previously and passed it to the trio. He waited for them to finish reading the letters before prodding them for comments.

"Holy- this is the shit, dude! Where'd you find this thing?" Mail asked, agog. Nate nodded his head approvingly at Mail's outburst.

Matsuda explained the incident that happened to him a few nights ago, with some *cough*a lot*cough* interruption from Mihael.

"Then what the hell are you waiting for? Let's read the next one!" Mihael pointed out hysterically.

Matsuda took out the third letter guardedly and spread it out on the long marble table. The four of them leaned towards the letter and pored over it.

* * *

><p><em>5 May 1998<em>

_Dear Light-san_

_It's been 4 months. Over this period of time, our relationship has grown much more closer. You showed me many things. Things and activities that I would never have done without your encouragement._

_Just today, we went to an amusement park. I found out that you were afraid of rollercoasters. But you rode it anyways, just so that I would try it out._

_We spent most of our time at the food and game stalls. There were so many candies! You knew that I was going to like that. I gave all the toys I won in the game stalls to you. You laughed and said that the stuffed panda was your favourite._

"_It reminds me of you," were your exact words. You wouldn't be able to imagine the amount of happiness that line gave me._

_There was a pink tinge on your cheeks after you said that; you claimed that it was the cold air. I wonder to myself if you were actually blushing._

_I spend so much time with you. I'm afraid that our spending time with each other will hurt you more as time passes. But I don't want to leave you just yet. I want to enjoy our remaining time together to the fill._

_L_

* * *

><p>Silence leaned her elbows on the table, and decided to exert her presence. She was interrupted a few seconds later by Mihael.<p>

"Like, wow."

Mail gave a long, low whistle. Matsuda silently agreed with their reactions. Nate reached out for the next letter, but was stopped by Mihael.

"No way, sheep. We're gonna suspense ourselves. A.k.a. a letter a day." Mihael announced. He had somehow decided to make himself the leader of their motley crew.

"…keeps the suspense on bay." Mail suggested. He received a smack on the back of his head for his comment. Courtesy of Mihael.

And so, the quad decided to keep the rest of the letters for the next few nights.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Done! Finally! I'm famished! Reviews to me are like apples to Ryuk. I'm sure you don't want to have a nightmare of me doing my withdrawal symptoms. **

**Oh, and thanks to the online thesaurus for nervous synonyms!**

****Hasta la vista, sista! (Or brother for any male readers!)****


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. The 4****th**** Letter and Yagami Light**

Nowadays, Matsuda was looking forward to work. The workload was still overbearing, but with Mihael, Mail and Nate there to help him along, time seemed to pass by fast. They hadn't had time to go through any letters for the past few days; nearly everyone else were working overtime as well because their monthly magazine was about to be published, and time was rushed.

Finally, it seemed that Mihael had reached his patience limit. Three days was a miracle for him actually.

Mihael got Mail to help him usher everyone out. Even the manager was forcefully pushed out.

"B-but the magazine-"

"Leave it to us!" Mihael winked, nonplussed.

And so, yet another workload was dumped onto Matsuda (and co.). The moment everyone else was gone, Mihael's cheerful grin abruptly transformed into an impatient frown.

"Hurry up and take out those letters, Matsuda!"

"Oh-uh, yes, yes."

Nate looked on apathetically as Matsuda fumbled through his drawer's contents. Mail was busy hacking into one of their colleague's computer.

"What're you doing Mail?" Mihael asked curiously.

"Ever the busybody eh? I'm trying to find out who this 'Yagami Light' person is. See, out of all the letters we've seen, they're all addressed to Yagami. The latest letter was for a Light-san. Assuming that they're the names of one person, it makes a Yagami Light. By finding out who Yagami Light is, we might be able to find out who L is." Mail replied, eyes staring at the computer screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Hm~"

"Um, the letter's here."

"Finally!"

Again, Nate was able to smoothly take the crumpled letter from Matsuda's grasp, and away from Mihael's greedy clutches.

"Argh!" Mihael huffed.

Ignoring Mihael's slight tantrum, Mail shouted at no one in particular, "Mind reading the letter aloud? I'm a bit tied-up here."

Matsuda replied a 'yes' as Nate unlocked the door of the meeting room.

"Can you hear us from there?" Nate called out monotonously.

"A-ok."

The letter was opened up and placed on the table. Naturally, Mihael took the job of saying the words aloud for Mail.

_18 April 1999_

_Light-kun_

_Light-kun. Light-kun. Light-kun. Your name rolls off my tongue pleasantly. I can't seem to get enough of it. It took around a year, but our relationship finally took off. I still remember what happened today._

_You were in my apartment, saying that you needed to write an article on house furnishing. You wanted to use my house as an example. I had taken the liberty to make some coffee for you. Black, just as you had always preferred it. Your nose always scrunched up whenever you saw me scooping in sugar cube after sugar cube into my cup._

_Today was no different. After that, we had an easy time slipping into a conversation. You asked me questions in between for your article._

_After that, we fell into an easy silence. It was quiet apart from our breathing and the ticking of the clock. It was nearing 10 p.m. I hadn't expected time to go by that fast._

_I told you that you should be going home soon; your parents would be worried. I thought it was my imagination but your face looked disappointed for a fleeting moment._

_Getting up, I retrieved your coat for you while you put on your shoes. I returned to the hallway only to find that you were still standing in your socks. I asked you if there was anything wrong._

_I honestly did not expect you to mumble a yes. You looked up and our eyes met for a moment. Yours were filled with a look of longing. In that fleeting moment, you flung your arms around my neck, and our lips met._

_I was in shock; so much so that I could not move an inch. You pushed against me for a response. Thinking that I was rejecting you, you pulled away. The moment you took your lips away from my contact, my lips felt cold._

_I abruptly pushed my lips against you. It was warm; you were warm. Before I knew it, your mouth opened and our tongues were battling each other._

_It was the first time I had ever kissed anyone._

_We ended up on my couch. You were lying underneath me, and your arms encircled my neck. I looked up and noticed that it was past ten, and told you that it was time for you to return home._

"_Stop calling me Light-san; it sounds too formal." You chided._

"_Then…Light..kun?"_

_You sighed heavily and nodded your head. "That'll do for now."_

_You left my apartment after we shared another kiss at my doorstep. At that very moment, I knew I would not have the courage to tell you the truth. _

_It was a grave mistake on my part; I should not have deepened my relationship with you. It would only result in hurting you in the future. But then, is it wrong for me to want to love someone, and be loved in return while I still have time? I have no idea._

_L_

Mihael's voice was hoarse by the time he finished reading out the letter. Nate still looked impassive as ever and Matsuda was exactly the opposite of Nate.

"I found him! Well, I think it's him anyways." Mail called out to his friends.

The trio in the meeting room immediately headed towards Mail. Pictures of a good-looking, cinnamon-haired man flooeded the computer screen.

Mail clicked on another browser and out popped a list of information.

"This guy's a sporty genius; tennis champion, school awards, prizes, the works." Mail informed them. "He's 34 years old, a successful lawyer, not married."

"How are you so sure it's him?" Mihael prodded.

"The name's unique. That and he also used to work in this company years ago, back when he was still in university." Mail replied.

"Does that mean we're one step closer to finding him?" Matsuda asked.

"Duh! We still have to get his address though. Can you do that, Mail?"

"I have his company's address; we can go there tomorrow and make an appointment. Tomorrow's Saturday right?"

"Yup." Matsuda confirmed.

"I hate to break it to you, but we have to start on our work or we won't be going home tonight." Nate noted.

"Ah, damn it!" Mihael cursed and hurriedly rushed through his pile.

Mail helped out with the proofreading, and Matsuda resumed his typing. Nate…did his own job.

**The next day…**

Mail and Mihael had just arrived at the company where Yagami Light was currently working for. Entering the posh lobby, a gust of cool air blew against their faces.

"Is this high-class, or is this freaking high-class?" It was a rhetorical question by Mail.

The receptionist was busy doing absolutely nothing. "Um, excuse me, does a Mr. Yagami work here?"

"Yeah, he does." The receptionist, whose nametag read Sarah, answered.

"Do you think we could have an appointment with him?" Mail further questioned.

"It depends. What do you want him for? Lawsuits, malpractice, divorce proceedings." She rattled off examples.

"None of that actually. We want to talk to him about something personal." Mail replied. Mihael flitted around behind him, observing the company's interior.

"Oh, you can't make appointments like that. Company policy. But I can give you his secretary's number. Try making an appointment with her."

"Okay then. Thanks." Mail took the piece of paper the receptionist passed to him. "Come on Mihael. We're done here."

"Oh?" The pair bounded out of the company and into Mail's car.

Mail passed the paper to Mihael and told him to call the number to make an appointment.

...

Several minutes later, Mihael was busy bitching about Yagami Light's assistant.

"She's a bitch I tell you! She picked up the phone and went, 'Hello, this is Misa Misa~'," Mihael adopted a high-pitched squeaky voice, "And when I told her I wanted to make an appointment to discuss about personal things with Mr. Yagami, she said, 'Oh, I'm sorry, but Mr. Yagami doesn't like interviews on his personal life, kaythanksbye!'. And she friggin' hung up on me! I wasn't even done explaining! Bitch!"

"…I see."

And Mail drove towards the meeting place Matsuda and Nate had agreed on meeting at.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6. Meeting with Yagami Light and 5****th**** Letter**

"So how did it go?" Matsuda asked when he saw Mail and Mihael approaching the bench he and Nate was sitting on. Well, Nate was half-crouching on the bench.

"Good, and not good." Mail flopped himself down beside Matsuda. "We can confirm now that Yagami Light works there and all that, but we can't make an appointment. Unless any of you have any law things to settle out?"

"Negative." Nate continued twirling his hair.

"And his assistant's a ho! She didn't bother to even listen to me!" Mihael added hot-headedly. "So can you try and find out his address? I don't care if you do it the 'unlawful' way."

Mail looked away from his colleagues. "I don't think we need to do that anymore."

"Excuse me?"

"Look over there."

They looked over at where Mail was pointing and sure enough, there was the guy they saw from the photos the night before.

Yagami Light's hazel-coloured hair gave off a slight sheen as the sunray reflected from it. A blonde dressed in a spaghetti-strap shirt and miniskirt was clinging on to his left arm. She was obviously trying to attract his attention, but her attempts were futile. He was busy ignoring her and typing out a message on his cell phone.

"He's 34 huh. Sure looks younger than that. And I bet that wannabe whore is Misa." Mihael scoffed.

"You want to try talking to him?" Mail winked at his friends, before realising that someone was missing. "Eh? Where's Nate?"

The three of them jumped up and looked around for the albino, until Matsuda spotted him. "There! He's walking towards Yagami-san!"

"Ugh, that sheep!" Mihael frowned.

**Nate POV sorta~**

Nate shuffled towards Yagami Light. He had walked right in front of him, before the older man noticed his presence.

"Um, do you need anything?" His voice was gentle. The girl clinging on his arm pouted, disappointed that he was paying attention to a stranger instead of her.

"You are Yagami Light, I presume?" Light nodded his head. "My name is Nate. My friends and I would like to make an appointment with you, on a personal basis. It would be a pleasure if you could put aside some time for us."

"Oh, um, my assistant takes care of my schedule for me." Light gestured at the blonde clinging on his arm.

"My friend," Nate used his thumb to point at his colleagues, who were now staring at their direction, "Called your assistant. It seemed that she did not bother to listen to his requests properly. It is by sheer luck that we found you here."

Light glared at Misa, while she whimpered annoyingly. "I apologise for any wrongdoings my assistant has done." He reached into his wallet and took out a business card. "You can reach me at this number. We'll discuss this further."

With that, Light bowed slightly at Nate and nodded his head at the direction of Nate's colleagues. He then headed towards the exit of his park, smoothly removing Misa from his arm.

Nate nodded his head back at Light's and shuffled back to his friends, flicking the card to Mail. "Seems we got ourselves a step further."

"Hot damn." Mihael emphasized on the curse word.

Although it was a Saturday, their office was still open. It was literally empty of other people.

"So…when are you all free to meet up with Yagami-san?" Mail asked, fingers poised over his cell phone, ready to call Light's number.

"Anytime."

"Same."

"Tomorrow."

Shrugging, Mail began to type in the digits. "Tomorrow it is then."

After several rings, Light picked up. "Hello?"

"Hello, uh, this is Mail speaking. I'm Nate's friend. You know, from the park earlier this morning."

"Ah, yes, I remember. Are you calling for the appointment?"

"Yeah. Um, is tomorrow fine?"

"Tomorrow? Yeah, sure. Afternoon, say around 2?"

Mail mouthed a '2 p.m.' at his friends, who in turn, nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, 2's fine. At the park?"

"Very well then. I will see you and your friends tomorrow at 2, at the park."

"Okay, thanks. See you tomorrow." Mail hung up.

There was silence for a while until Mihael piped up. "Woot! Guess we're getting even closer into finding out who L is!"

"And also about what happened to him. Let's read the next letter now!" Matsuda added.

This time, it was Nate who took out the letter from the box in Matsuda's drawer. Laying it out on his desk, he saw some stains on the wrinkled paper.

"That's normal right? I mean, you can't expect papers to remain in pristine perfect condition after years of being untouched. Of course stains would appear." Mihael pointed out when Nate spoke his thoughts aloud.

"True, but it's almost as if…L was crying when he wrote this letter." Nate suggested.

Inspecting the paper closer, Mihael had to admit; Nate could be right.

_18 August 1999_

_Light-kun_

_We've been together for 4 months already._

_The first date I took you to was to a classical concert. I was afraid that you would think it too formal, but you said you liked it. The reason I chose to bring you there was because the main son they were going to perform was Concerto in D Minor._

_The concerto is characterized by the subtle yet expressive relationship between the violins throughout the work. It reminds me of our relationship, Light-kun._

_I've been working up the courage to tell you the secret I've been hiding from you; ever since the time we first met._

_Perhaps I should at least write down what I'm feeling as I am writing down this letter. It's an overwhelming mixture of emotions; confusion, pain, fear._

_If I were to tell you that I'm suffering from a disease…how would you react. Would you remain positive and encourage me to fight back against the sickness? Or would you abandon me? Maybe you would try to care for me, only to leave me alone halfway because it's too troublesome._

_I visited my doctor today, at the hospital. He said that I might not have long left to live. Light-kun, if you were to find out the truth before I die; what would you have done?_

_L_

"Hmph. At least we know he's suffering from a life-threatening disease. I bet it's cancer or something." Mihael snorted.

"This ain't a drama series, Mihael." Mail interjected. Mihael blew a raspberry at him in reply, which resulted in amused looks on the Matsuda and Mail's faces.

"Soooo, tomorrow at the park, 2p.m. Don't forget!"

The group then dispersed for the day.

* * *

><p>It seemed as if forever and a day had passed before Sunday finally arrived. Matsuda had arrived at the park at 1.50 p.m. sharp.<p>

'Ah, guess I'm too early', Matsuda thought as he found a bench to sit on. None of his colleagues or Yagami Light had arrived yet. The minutes ticked by, yet Mihael, Mail and Nate were nowhere to be seen.

At 2 o'clock on the dot, Light arrived alone.

"Uhm, my name is Matsuda Touta; I'm one of Nate's friends." Matsuda stood up and introduced himself.

"I see. Where are your other friends?" Light looked around.

"I think they're stuck in a traffic jam or something. Have a seat first while we wait for them."

Light settled himself beside Matsuda and the two sat in silence. The atmosphere was awkward.

Matsuda tried to strike up a conversation. "So, uh, you're a pretty good lawyer huh?" _Stupid! What kind of dumb question is that? Stupid, stupid Matsuda! _He thought to himself the moment the words flitted out of his mouth.

"…I guess."

"Um, the others might be coming later than I thought. Can I start asking you the questions first?"

At Light's nod, Matsuda regained new courage. "Yagami-san, I found out that you used to work in the company I am currently working at in the past. You know, Nichijō Seikatsu Newspaper and Magazine Co.?"

Light visibly flinched on hearing the company name. "Yes, I used to work there as a part-time journalist. I needed the money to continue paying for my university fees."

"You were taking Law and Psychology as your majors. It has been your dream since you were small to be part of the police force, or a detective. Why did you suddenly change your mind and became a lawyer instead?" Matsuda was reading off his notes that he had gotten from Mail.

"People change." Was Light's curt answer. It was obvious that he was becoming incredibly uncomfortable with the subject. It only made Matsuda more curious.

Matsuda knew he should have waited until the others had arrived, but Light was a busy lawyer; he would not have all the time in the world to spend on waiting for them to arrive.

The two of them hadn't noticed yet, but Mihael, Mail and Nate were already nearing their bench.

"Then…do you know anyone who goes by the name L?"

Light abruptly stood up from his place. His fists were clenched and he was frowning hard. "How did you find out about him?"

"I er-, found a box of letters and-"

"Don't mention his name in front of me. Ever. Forget about everything that has happened just now. We will not meet again. Throw away whatever information you managed to get." Light glared at Matsuda. "Do not **ever** contact me to talk about him **ever** again."

With that, Light gathered his things and strode away from the park, past Mihael, Mail and Nate.

"What the hell just happened?" Mihael asked the moment he reached Matsuda.

"I don't know. The moment I asked him about L, he immediately got mad and told me to never talk about him. And to forget about our meeting just now." Matsuda babbled.

"Something bad must have happened between the both of them. We should read up on the other letters." Mail thought aloud.

"Mihael. The keys to the company office." Nate stated.

"Yeah, yeah, I have them with me." Mihael swung around the keychain.

"Where'd you- Oh. The guard." Matsuda realised.

"Right."

They hurried towards Mail's 1998 red Camaro and headed towards their destination.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7. The 6****th**** and 7****th**** Letters**

The red Camaro screeched to a halt in front of the company doors. Mihael's side of the door was already open before Mail could brake completely.

Three of them hurried out, leaving behind Nate who was slowly shuffling behind them. When Mihael unlocked the door and entered, a gust of hot air enveloped his body.

"Phew! The place is stuffy!"

Matsuda ignored the heat and unlocked his drawer, taking out the box. The whole heap of letters was taken out and placed on his table. After placing them into two groups, the ones they have read, and the ones that haven't been read, he proceeded to open up the sixth letter.

The others gathered around his desk and they all began to read.

_31 October 1999_

_To Light-kun_

_It's Halloween today. Which also means it's my birthday._

_You bought a cake with 27 candles and hung out at my apartment. You even brought along several packets of sweets. I thought it was for me; you slapped my hand away from the packets calling me a greedy sweet tooth. You said it was for any kids who might come for trick 'n' treating._

_I talked to Watari after you left. He told me that I have to tell you the truth before I regret anything._

_I don't have the courage to tell you straight out in your face, not even through the phone. But for now, I can tell you through writing._

_It's kind of depressing writing something like this on your own birthday. Then again, some say that a birthday means you're another step closer to death. Which is true._

…_I'm suffering from cancer. Adult acute myeloid leukemia, if you want me to be exact._

_How would you react if I were to tell you about this straight out instead of telling you through a letter you will most likely never read?_

_L_

"Hey, I was right about the cancer part." Mihael piped up.

"…You just had to ruin an emotional moment, huh?"

Mihael shrugged in reply to Mail's rhetorical question. "Yeah, yeah. Next letter Matsuda."

Matsuda was already laying it out.

_1 January 2000_

_Light-kun_

_It's the New Year. I managed to pull through another year. I don't know whether I should be happy about it though._

_I went for my appointment with doctor again. He said that my cancer was spreading fast. At this rate, I might reach the 3__rd__ stage._

_The treatment, the chemotherapy, is painful. I wonder to myself why I do this. I'm going to die after all. The chemotherapy I have to go through isn't even 100% effective._

_I still haven't told you the truth. We visited a temple today, with your family. There was a huge crowd. Not surprising since the New Year is very important for Japanese._

_Just before it was our turn, you clutched my hand tightly, and gave me an innocent smile. When it was our turn, we both clapped our hands in front to pray. I glanced at you from the side of my eyes. Your eyes were shut tight, as if you were praying fervently for something._

_I decided to wish for something too. I prayed that you and your family would live healthy, long lives. I hoped that you would not be angry if ever you found out about my cancer._

_Already, I could feel our bond together wavering._

_I'm scared, Light-kun._

_L_

Just before any of them could say anything, the door to the office swung open, and their manager entered.

"Oh? What're the four of you doing here? You too Mail; you're only an errand boy."

"Nothing sir. Matsuda here left something of his in the office, and Mihael asked the guard to unlock the doors for us." Nate smoothly replied. He then proceeded to stuff the letters inside the box and brought it along with him as he exited the office.

Mihael, Mail and Matsuda were stunned at the sudden save, but instantly made their way out as well, sending their farewells to the manager as they exited.

"Nice save, sheep!" Mihael praised the moment they entered Mail's car.

"Well, since Nate took along the box of letters, how about we go to Matsuda's house to continue reading the rest?"

"Eh? Why my house?"

"'Cause Mihael and I are roommates and we haven't paid this month's rent so the landlady's gonna kill us if we bring along friends and Nate's house is…creepy." Mail decided. "So…your address?"

Matsuda sighed heavily and gave Mail the directions.

"But what are we supposed to do about Yagami Light?" Mihael asked.

"Ah, him? I found his address," Mail swerved the car to the right, "through 'illegal' means. We'll finish reading the letters, find out what happens, visit lover-boy, and we'll see how things go from there."

"Downhill~" Everyone in the car stared at Nate incredulously. It was the first time they heard him actually intone some feelings into his voice. "Mail, concentrate on the road."

"Ah, his voice is back to normal. Technical defect?" Mihael asked Matsuda.

"He does act like a robot." Matsuda mused.

Mail suppressed a snort of amusement and parked his car into an empty space in the parking lot. "We're here."

"Uwah! Matsuda, you didn't say you were rich!" Mihael exclaimed, eyes staring at the condominium building before him.

"No I'm not! You're looking at the wrong building!"

"Eh?" Mihael turned and stared at the small building Matsuda was pointing at placed beside the condominium unit. "It's tiny."

"Shut up and enter."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8. The Remaining Letters**

"It really is tiny." Mail said as he bowed his head in order to go through the doorway.

"You can sit here while I prepare some drinks." Matsuda headed to the kitchen.

Mihael, Mail and Nate settled themselves on the floor of Matsuda's room. Nate took out the letters from the box to prepare for reading later.

"There are only three letters left." Mail noted dully.

"We might as well read them all at one go." Matsuda suggested as he entered the room carrying a tray of drinks.

"Thanks." Mihael grabbed a cup and sipped the tea.

"You guys read it aloud for me again, okay? I need to do something." Mail said, as he reached into his bag for his laptop.

_28 February 2000_

_Light-kun_

_Happy 24__th __birthday. It's your birthday today, so I pushed away all my troubles just so that we could celebrate it together with your family without any problems._

_Maybe my acting was not as good as I thought; you kept giving me worried glances whenever you thought I was not looking._

_We've been fighting more frequently too. Just two days ago, you asked me what was wrong. That I've been acting distant. Watari says that I should tell you soon. Now, if possible._

_But, I'm just too much of a coward._

_L_

"Stupid L." Mihael muttered.

"You don't even know him, or what's he feeling." Mail countered.

Mihael merely rolled his eyes as Mail continued frantically typing away on his laptop.

_8 July 2000_

_Light-kun_

_You're angry with me._

_We fought again today. You were annoyed that I refused to answer any of your questions directly. When I told you that you wouldn't understand, that I was afraid you might leave me, you started throwing things at me._

_You said that if I trusted you, I would have told you everything that was troubling me. When I didn't reply, you slapped me. Hard. And then you left my apartment, leaving behind the mess you made._

_I was angry. Not at you but at myself. The reason why you're stressed out and worried is me. It's all my fault. Watari says that if I don't want to tell you about my disease, then I might as well break all ties with you._

_Maybe I should do that. It's better than you knowing that I am going to die soon. Right?_

_L_

"Now that I think about it, who's Watari?" Matsuda asked.

"We'll find out. Maybe after talking to Yagami Light." Mail answered.

"It's the last letter huh." Mihael said, somewhat subdued.

_4 November 2000_

_Light-kun_

_We broke up. To be precise, I asked to break all ties with you. I thought you would have reacted violently. Instead, you agreed quietly._

_Watari says that if I really want the best for you, I should do something special._

_He is preparing the equipment right now as I speak. After writing this last letter, I am going to compile all of them and keep it inside a box._

_Perhaps Watari might give the box to you when he sees fit. After all the problems I have caused to you, you still said that you loved me. Just before you left my apartment. I didn't reply._

_Watari is ready with the things needed. He will prepare all the other necessary things after I die._

_I can hardly write much; my hand is shaking a lot. I can hardly read my own handwriting. Maybe it's that bad, or my eyes are worsening too._

_The doctor said I don't have much time left. The cancer is already at its 3__rd__ stage. I hope that, if ever you read this letters which I have instructed Watari to give to you, you will receive what I am going to do for you._

_I know that you like puzzles. You always did. So I'm giving one to you._

_L_

"Heh! Just like that!" Mihael exclaimed.

"Not for long. Get into the car; we're going to Yagami's house." Mail commanded.

It wasn't long before they reached Light's house.

"Normal house much?" Matsuda commented, staring at the house before him. Knowing that Yagami Light was rich, it was a surprise to see that he lived in a seemingly normal house.

"He lives with his parents, younger sister and brother-in-law. His sister got married recently." Mail informed them.

Mihael headed to the door and rapped smartly. A female opened the door.

"Yes?"

"Um, excuse us, but is Yagami Light-san at home?"

"He is. Come in and have a seat will you?" She led them inside the house and showed them to the living room. "Nii-san! You have guests!"

There was a muffled thud as Light stepped out of his room, before heading down the stairs.

Matsuda shifted uncomfortably at his seat. Mihael and Mail looked perfectly at home whereas Nate looked impassive as ever. The box was placed on the table before the sofa.

Light frowned the moment he saw them. "How did you find out my address?"

"I have my ways." Mail answered proudly.

"I refuse to talk to you about him."

"You say 'him' as if it's a dirty word. He was the person you loved right. I wouldn't be surprised if you still have feelings about him." Nate stated.

Light flinched before replying. "Get out of my house."

"Wh-why don't you try reading these first?" Matsuda timidly held up the box containing the letters.

A flash of recognition passed Light's face. "That's the box that Watari passed to me."

"And judging by the fact that you shoved it somewhere in the storage room in the company, you didn't bother opening it." Mihael guessed.

"Watari stopped by the office and passed it to me, saying that it was from…L. I was still kind of pissed off with him so stuffed it in the storage room to be forgotten."

"Do you know what happened to him? To L?"

"No. He didn't want to have anything to do with me. We fought a lot anyways."

"Take a seat and read." Nate stared at Light apathetically. "He left behind something for you."

Light hesitated a bit before sitting on the floor and taking the box. The four of them kept quiet as they observed Light reading the letters. Light's younger sister, Sayu, served them iced drinks before announcing that she was going out. Her older brother barely nodded his head in reply; he was engrossed in reading the letters.

"Invisible ink."

"Huh?" The four colleagues were surprised when Light said something out of the blue.

"He…L used invisible ink on the last letter. We used to write to each other using lemon or orange juice as ink; they appear invisible, but when you place the paper on top of a light source, the letters will be visible."

Mail flicked out his lighter. "I have a lighter. Will it do?"

Nodding his head, Light held the letter above Mail's lighter. Mail flicked it on, and a thin wicker of flame appeared. Matsuda and Mihael leaned over and read it aloud.

The words were barely visible as the paper had aged a lot.

_An object with no corners and light that shines during a time of darkness._

_The dark that envelops the morning glow._

_The one who creates everything: the world, the people, the emotions._

_Our secret._

"What the heck is he talking about?" Mihael frowned.

"Our secret…" Light whispered. "The website?"

"What website?" Mail asked. Nate and Matsuda continued to ponder over the other three lines.

"He…L created a website for the both of us. Whenever we wanted to be together, but weren't able to, we could go to the website and talk to each other there. I haven't visited it since we broke up. I thought he deleted it already."

"Here." Mail shoved Light his laptop. "Go to the website."

"Moon Night God." Nate mumbled. "An easy riddle. Guess he wanted you to solve it quickly. What with the fact that it's your name split up."

"That stupid, sentimental guy." Light muttered, typing in the website name.

"But you love him anyways." Matsuda countered.

Light bowed his head forward, his face blushing slightly. "…Yeah. I guess you're right."

They all gathered near the laptop. There was silence as the web page loaded. Instead of the homepage Light was used to seeing whenever he visited it last time, a blank white screen popped up. There was a bar in the middle where Light was supposed to type something.

"Type down 'Moon Night God'. That should be the key." Mihael jabbed impatiently at Light.

The moment Light typed in the words and pressed enter, letters began forming on the white screen. In large Arial font, it read: 'TURN ON THE TELEVISION.'

Mail reached out to the television controller which was placed on top of the small table beside him and switched on the television.

"It doesn't say what channel!" Mihael realised.

"It's L. Most likely whatever he's going to do will appear on every single channel in Japan." Light stated.

* * *

><p>Outside, Sayu was walking along the busy streets of Kyoto. The giant public television which was placed on a building was showing a newscaster babbling on about the economy.<p>

As she waited for the green man to appear, Sayu looked up and gazed at the television. All of a sudden, static covered the screen and it went blank. The crowd of people there at that moment began to mumble amongst themselves.

"What happened?"

"A technical glitch?"

"Damn, I missed the chart they were showing!"

Everywhere in Japan, all the television channels which were turned on experienced the same thing.

"What the-!"

"My cartoon!"

"I thought you said you fixed the TV?"

Even in companies, where televisions were used for watching the latest news or for entertainment by some sneaky employees:

"Hey!"

"Call the janitor! I need the television to be fixed as soon as possible!"

"What happened? Pause the show and start the advertisements!"

* * *

><p>Back at the Yagamis' house, Matsuda, Mihael, Mail, Nate and Light were watching the television intently, waiting for something to happen. The static cleared up suddenly, and a hospital bed came in view.<p>

A seemingly anorexic, raven-haired man was crouching on the bed. His surroundings were near-completely covered with all kinds of confectionaries. He stared at the screen with his wide, obsidian eyes. The date written on the side of the screen was 04/11/2000.

Light's breath hitched and his voice refused to come out. _L?_

* * *

><p>Sayu's eyes widened as the vision of the man crouching on the hospital bed cleared. "L?" She found herself asking.<p>

* * *

><p>Somewhere in a small town in Kyoto, Soichiro and Sachiko were walking along relaxedly. They had wanted to buy a new television for their house and were heading towards an electronics store which sold cheap electronics. A crowd was forming in front of the store's display case.<p>

"What's going on, I wonder?" Sachiko tugged her husband along with her, and they pushed past the crowd. The televisions on display were showing the same thing; a man crouching on a hospital bed.

"Huh? That's…" Sachiko strained her eyes to see the man clearly. "L isn't it?"

Soichiro recognized him too. "What's going on?" He asked himself.


End file.
